Can UltraCompare show only equal (by its contents) folders (files names can be different and the same)? Same content is when the content of each file has a duplicate file (with same or not the same name) in the other folder by content.

And can UC find folders with different names with identical content? Respectively is there a way to find duplicates?

So you would like that UltraCompare just compares the files and folders with same name and once this is done compare by contents each file being unique on left side with each file being unique on right side to find out more or less automatically which files have been renamed/moved on either side without changing contents or which folders have been renamed/moved on either side.

Sorry, but currently latest UltraCompare v17.00.0.23 does not support such a folder compare with automatic detection of renamed or moved files and folders. I'm also not aware of any folder comparison application having such a feature which does not mean there is no such application, I'm just not aware of any.

Of course the Find Duplicates feature can find files with equal file contents but having different file names because of file being renamed on either side or being a copy with a different name or being located with same or a different name in a different folder because the folder was renamed or the file was copied into another folder.

For my own interest I have once thought about an algorithm to find out what a user could have been done to produce folder B tree from folder A tree with renaming files and folders on any side and make copies of files and folders on any side and move files and folders on any side and of course make also changes on file contents on any side. While it is no problem to find out duplicate files, I failed on my test cases to really get a suitable comparison display which displayed right what I have really done before on the two folder trees. I think, this is the reason why no folder comparison I'm aware of supports such a folder comparison which can automatically detect also renamed or moved files and folders.

Thank you very much, Mofi.

Mofi wrote:So you would like that UltraCompare just compares...folders with same or not name by content and show folders as equal when the content(s) of all the files (with different names or not) in the folders are identical by content.

So justs show the duplicate (identical by file contents) folders. And additionally the differences of folders (with different names), so the same how UC shows the differences between folders with same names.

Mofi wrote:Sorry, but currently latest UltraCompare v17.00.0.23 does not support such a folder compare with automatic detection of renamed or moved files and folders. I'm also not aware of any folder comparison application having such a feature which does not mean there is no such application, I'm just not aware of any.

Yes, I do not know any either. The closest to get there is to use duplicate search programs, but they do not show equal folders only.

Mofi wrote:Of course the Find Duplicates feature can find files with equal file contents but having different file names because of file being renamed on either side or being a copy with a different name or being located with same or a different name in a different folder because the folder was renamed or the file was copied into another folder.

Yes, such programs find every file with same contents but unfortunately they do not display folders identical by content.

Mofi wrote:For my own interest I have once thought about an algorithm to find out what a user could have been done to produce folder B tree from folder A tree with renaming files and folders on any side and make copies of files and folders on any side and move files and folders on any side and of course make also changes on file contents on any side. While it is no problem to find out duplicate files, I failed on my test cases to really get a suitable comparison display which displayed right what I have really done before on the two folder trees.

But why should one (the program) know what the user has done / does? The program could just find out the current state. When it finds a file or a special amount of files with same contents, it check if they belong to a single / special folder / it just displays the folders having identical contents. Or it checks the size of folders and after, if the size is the same, checks the content of folders with same sizes. If each file has a duplicate file by content in the other folder the folder is identical by content.

Mofi wrote:I think, this is the reason why no folder comparison I'm aware of supports such a folder comparison which can automatically detect also renamed or moved files and folders.

Actually I would think it is not supported because there is no need for such comparisons, may be.

Is it right:

UC can show only folders with same names and identical content (same file names, same file content, same amount of files) as equal.

UC can not show folders with different names and identical content (same file names, same file content, same amount of files) as equal.

UC can not show folders with same names and same content of files with one different file name or more and same amount of files as equal.

Many thanks again